Childhood acute non-traumatic coma: aetiology and challenges in management in resource-poor countries of Africa and Asia

The aetiologies, mortality, and disability of non-traumatic coma in African children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Non-traumatic coma in African children is a common life-threatening presentation often leading to hospital attendance. We aimed to estimate the distribution of non-traumatic coma causes and outcomes, including disease-specific outcomes, for which evidence is scarce.

METHODS

We systematically reviewed MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases from inception to Feb 6, 2024. We included studies recruiting children (aged 1 month to 16 years) with non-traumatic coma (Blantyre Coma Scale score ≤2, ie deep coma or comparable alternative) from any African country. Disease-specific studies were included if outcomes were reported. Primary data were requested where required. We used a DerSimonian-Laird random effects model to calculate pooled estimates for prevalence of causes, mortality, and morbidity (in-hospital and post-discharge), including analysis of mortality by temporality. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD4202014193).

FINDINGS

We screened 16 666 articles. 138 studies were eligible for analysis, reporting causes, outcome data, or both from 35 027 children with non-traumatic coma in 30 African countries. 114 (89%) of 128 studies were determined to be high quality. Among the causes, cerebral malaria had highest pooled prevalence at 58% (95% CI 48-69), encephalopathy of unknown cause was associated with 23% (9-36) of cases, and acute bacterial meningitis was the cause of 10% (8-12) of cases, with all other causes representing lower proportions of cases. Pooled overall case-fatality rates were 17% (16-19) for cerebral malaria, 37% (20-55) for unknown encephalopathy, and 45% (34-55) for acute bacterial meningitis. By meta-regression, there was no significant difference in cerebral malaria (p=0·98), acute bacterial meningitis (p=0·99), or all-cause coma (p=0·081) mortality by year of study. There was no substantial difference in deaths associated with cerebral malaria in-hospital compared with post-discharge (17% [16-19] vs (18% [16-20]). Mortality was higher post-discharge than in-hospital in most non-malarial comas, including acute bacterial meningitis (39% [26-52]) vs 53% [38-69]). Disability associated with cerebral malaria was 11% (9-12). Pooled disability outcomes associated with other non-malarial diseases were largely absent.

INTERPRETATION

The prevalence and outcomes of cerebral malaria and meningitis associated with non-traumatic coma were strikingly static across five decades. Enhanced molecular and radiological diagnostics, investment, policy making, community awareness, and health service provision are all required to facilitate earlier referral to specialist centres, to drive a step-change in diagnostic yield and treatment options to improve these outcomes.

FUNDING

Wellcome Trust.

TRANSLATIONS

For the Chichewa, French and Portuguese translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Coma Prevalence in Critical Care Units in Chile: Results of a Cross-Sectional Survey on World Coma Day

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of coma among patients in critical care units in Chile. We also aimed to provide insight into the demographic characteristics, etiologies, and complications associated with coma.

METHODS

A single day cross-sectional study was conducted through a national survey of public and private hospitals with critical and intensive cardiac care units across Chile. Data were collected using an online questionnaire that contained questions regarding critically ill patients' information, demographic characteristics, etiology and duration of coma, medical complications, and support requirements.

RESULTS

A total of 84% of all health facilities answered, accounting for a total of 2,708 patients. The overall coma prevalence was 2.9%. The median age of the comatose patients was 61 years (interquartile range 50-72) and 66.2% were male. The median coma duration was five days (interquartile range 2-9). Cerebral hemorrhage was the most common etiology, followed by severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, acute ischemic stroke, and traumatic brain injury. A total of 48.1% of coma patients experienced acute and ongoing treatment complications, with pneumonia being the most common complication, and 97.4% required support during comatose management.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides an overview of the prevalence of coma in Chilean critical and cardiac care units. Coma is a common condition. Comatose patients frequently experience medical complications during their hospitalization.

Viral, Bacterial, Metabolic, and Autoimmune Causes of Severe Acute Encephalopathy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Multicenter Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

To assess whether viral, bacterial, metabolic, and autoimmune diseases are missed by conventional diagnostics among children with severe acute encephalopathy in sub-Saharan Africa.

STUDY DESIGN

One hundred thirty-four children (6 months to 18 years) presenting with nontraumatic coma or convulsive status epilepticus to 1 of 4 medical referral centers in Uganda, Malawi, and Rwanda were enrolled between 2015 and 2016. Locally available diagnostic tests could be supplemented in 117 patients by viral, bacterial, and 16s quantitative polymerase chain reaction testing, metagenomics, untargeted metabolomics, and autoimmune immunohistochemistry screening.

RESULTS

Fourteen (12%) cases of viral encephalopathies, 8 (7%) cases of bacterial central nervous system (CNS) infections, and 4 (4%) cases of inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs) were newly identified by additional diagnostic testing as the most likely cause of encephalopathy. No confirmed cases of autoimmune encephalitis were found. Patients for whom additional diagnostic testing aided causal evaluation (aOR 3.59, 90% CI 1.57-8.36), patients with a viral CNS infection (aOR 7.91, 90% CI 2.49-30.07), and patients with an IMD (aOR 9.10, 90% CI 1.37-110.45) were at increased risk for poor outcome of disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Viral and bacterial CNS infections and IMDs are prevalent causes of severe acute encephalopathy in children in Uganda, Malawi, and Rwanda that are missed by conventional diagnostics and are associated with poor outcome of disease. Improved diagnostic capacity may increase diagnostic yield and might improve outcome of disease.

Modified Glasgow Coma Scale and the Alert Verbal Painful Unresponsive Scale for Assessing the Level of Consciousness in Pediatric Critical Care Patients—A Comparative Study

Altered consciousness is a common problem encountered in the pediatric emergency department. Modified Glasgow coma scale (MGCS) has been widely used in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) for assessing the level of consciousness in children with various illnesses. To compare utility of alert verbal painful unresponsive (AVPU) scale and MGCS for assessing level of consciousness of critically ill patients admitted to PICU. A prospective observational study was conducted at Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital in Maharashtra, India on children above the age of 30 days admitted to the PICU from September 2018 to August 2019, fulfilling the inclusion criteria, after obtaining informed consent from the parents. Level of consciousness of the enrolled patients was assessed using the AVPU scale and MGCS. One-way analysis of variance technique was used for data analysis. A total of 74 children were included in the study. A good correlation was observed between the two scales and mean MGCS score of 13.8 (13–15), 11.3 (11–12), 8.09 (7–9), and 3 corresponded to A, V, P, and U, respectively. AVPU scale was comparable to MGCS in assessing level of consciousness in children admitted to PICU. AVPU can be used for initial evaluation of level of consciousness in children presenting with altered consciousness. More detailed MGCS can be used to assess the improvement over time and to decide further treatment strategy.

Non-traumatic coma in young children in Benin: are viral and bacterial infections gaining ground on cerebral malaria?

Background

While malaria morbidity and mortality have declined since 2000, viral central nervous system infections appear to be an important, underestimated cause of coma in malaria-endemic Eastern Africa. We aimed to describe the etiology of non-traumatic comas in young children in Benin, as well as their management and early outcomes, and to identify factors associated with death.

Methods

From March to November 2018, we enrolled all HIV-negative children aged between 2 and 6 years, with a Blantyre Coma Score ≤ 2, in this prospective observational study. Children were screened for malaria severity signs and assessed using a systematic diagnostic protocol, including blood cultures, malaria diagnostics, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis using multiplex PCR. To determine factors associated with death, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.

Results

From 3244 admissions, 84 children were included: malaria was diagnosed in 78, eight of whom had a viral or bacterial co-infection. Six children had a non-malarial infection or no identified cause. The mortality rate was 29.8% (25/84), with 20 children dying in the first 24 h. Co-infected children appeared to have a poorer prognosis. Of the 76 children who consulted a healthcare professional before admission, only 5 were prescribed adequate antimalarial oral therapy. Predictors of early death were jaundice or increased bilirubin [odd ratio (OR)= 8.6; 95% confidential interval (CI): 2.03–36.1] and lactate > 5 mmol/L (OR = 5.1; 95% CI: 1.49–17.30). Antibiotic use before admission (OR = 0.1; 95% CI: 0.02–0.85) and vaccination against yellow fever (OR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.05–0.79) protected against mortality.

Conclusions

Infections were found in all children who died, and cerebral malaria was by far the most common cause of non-traumatic coma. Missed opportunities to receive early effective antimalarial treatment were common. Other central nervous system infections must be considered in their management. Some factors that proved to be protective against early death were unexpected.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40249-022-00956-2.

Aetiology and outcome of non-traumatic coma in African children: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Non-traumatic coma is a common acute childhood presentation to healthcare facilities in Africa and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Historically, the majority of cases were attributed to cerebral malaria (CM). With the recent drastic reduction in malaria incidence, non-malarial coma is becoming a larger proportion of cases and determining the aetiology is diagnostically challenging, particularly in resource-limited settings. The purpose of this study will be to evaluate the aetiology and prognosis of non-traumatic coma in African children.

METHODS

With no date restrictions, systematic searches of MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus will identify prospective and retrospective studies (including randomised controlled trials, cluster randomised trials, cohort studies, cross-sectional, and case-control studies) recruiting children (1 month-16 years) with non-traumatic coma (defined by Blantyre Coma Score ≤ 2 or comparable alternative) from any African country. Disease-specific studies will be included if coma is associated and reported. The primary outcome is to determine the aetiology (infectious and non-infectious) of non-traumatic coma in African children, with pooled prevalence estimates of causes (e.g., malaria). Secondary outcomes are to determine overall estimates of morbidity and mortality of all-cause non-traumatic coma and disease-specific states of non-traumatic coma, where available. Random effects meta-analysis will summarise aetiology data and in-hospital and post-discharge mortality. Heterogeneity will be quantified with τ2, I2, and Cochran's Q test.

DISCUSSION

This systematic review will provide a summary of the best available evidence on the aetiology and outcome of non-traumatic coma in African children.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42020141937.

Altered Mental Status Among Febrile Hospitalized HIV-Infected Children Aged 0-59 Months in Mozambique

BACKGROUND

Altered mental status (AMS) is a priority presenting sign that must be assessed in HIV-infected, febrile children, yet diagnosis is difficult in areas with limited diagnostic capacity. Malaria and bacterial meningitis have been reported as the most common causes of AMS in febrile children presenting to the hospital in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in an HIV-infected child, central nervous system manifestations are diverse.

METHODS

We conducted a clinical observational study of HIV-infected febrile children, aged 0-59 months, hospitalized in Mozambique and prospectively followed. Within this cohort, a nested study was designed to characterize children admitted with AMS and to assess factors associated with mortality. Univariate and multivariable analysis were performed comparing characteristics of the cohort by AMS status and evaluated demographic and clinical factors by in-hospital mortality outcome.

RESULTS

In total, 727 children were enrolled between April 2016 and February 2019, 16% had AMS at admission. HIV-infected, febrile children, who presented with AMS and who had a diagnosis of bacteremia, had a 4-fold increased relative odds of in-hospital mortality, and children who presented with neurologic symptoms on admission had a roughly 8-fold higher odds of in-hospital mortality relative to children without presenting neurologic findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Mozambique has a pressing need to expand local diagnostic capacity. Our results highlight the critical need for clinicians to incorporate a broader differential into their potential causes of AMS, and to develop a Ministry of Health approved diagnostic and management algorithm, which is standardly used, to manage patients for whom reliable and relevant diagnostic services are not available.

Clinical Predictors of Malaria, Acute Bacterial Meningitis and Treatment Outcomes among Febrile Children Admitted with Altered Mental Status in Northwestern Tanzania

BACKGROUND

Malaria and acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) are the leading infectious causes of febrile encephalopathy in malaria endemic settings. The clinical distinction of the two conditions is complicated by overlap in clinical features.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the clinical predictors for malaria, ABM and treatment outcome in febrile children aged 2 months to 12 years with altered mentation at two tertiary hospitals in Northwestern Tanzania.

METHODS

Prospective study of 103 children to document demographic data and physical examination findings, such as level of consciousness and meningeal irritations. Laboratory results for cerebrospinal fluid, hemoglobin, malaria and HIV were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Age >60 months and hemoglobin ≤5 g/dl were independent predictors of malaria; (p = 0.013 and 0.004, respectively). HIV infection was the only predictor of meningitis, p = 0.037, and mortality was high if the diagnosis was unconfirmed.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with febrile encephalopathy are more likely to have malaria than ABM if they have severe anemia.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Infectious Encephalopathy in Children From Four Resource-Limited Settings in Africa

OBJECTIVES

To assess the frequency, interventions, and outcomes of children presenting with traumatic brain injury or infectious encephalopathy in low-resource settings.

DESIGN

Prospective study.

SETTING

Four hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa.

PATIENTS

Children age 1 day to 17 years old evaluated at the hospital with traumatic brain injury or infectious encephalopathy.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

We evaluated the frequency and outcomes of children presenting consecutively over 4 weeks to any hospital department with traumatic brain injury or infectious encephalopathy. Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category score was assessed pre morbidity and at hospital discharge. Overall, 130 children were studied (58 [45%] had traumatic brain injury) from hospitals in Ethiopia (n = 51), Kenya (n = 50), Rwanda (n = 20), and Ghana (n = 7). Forty-six percent had no prehospital care, and 64% required interhospital transport over 18 km (1-521 km). On comparing traumatic brain injury with infectious encephalopathy, there was no difference in presentation with altered mental state (80% vs 82%), but a greater proportion of traumatic brain injury cases had loss of consciousness (80% vs 53%; p = 0.004). Traumatic brain injury patients were older (median [range], 120 mo [6-204 mo] vs 13 mo [0.3-204 mo]), p value of less than 0.001, and more likely male (73% vs 51%), p value of less than 0.01. In 78% of infectious encephalopathy cases, cause was unknown. More infectious encephalopathy cases had a seizure (69% vs 12%; p < 0.001). In regard to outcome, infectious encephalopathy versus traumatic brain injury: hospital lengths of stay were longer for infectious encephalopathy (8 d [2-30 d] vs 4 d [1-36 d]; p = 0.003), discharge rate to home, or for inpatient rehabilitation, or death differed between infectious encephalopathy (85%, 1%, and 13%) and traumatic brain injury (79%, 12%, and 1%), respectively, p value equals to 0.044. There was no difference in the proportion of children surviving with normal or mild disability (73% traumatic brain injury vs 79% infectious encephalopathy; p = 0.526).

CONCLUSIONS

The epidemiology and outcomes of pediatric traumatic brain injury and infectious encephalopathy varied by center and disease. To improve outcomes of these conditions in low-resource setting, focus should be on neurocritical care protocols for pre-hospital, hospital, and rehabilitative care.

The Etiological Spectrum of Febrile Encephalopathy in Adult Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Developing Country

The profile of febrile encephalopathy varies based on different demographic and geographical characteristics of the study population. This retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the etiological spectrum of febrile encephalopathy in hospitalized adult patients. A total of 293 patients with the mean age of 49.7 ± 23 were evaluated of whom 77.1% presented with encephalopathy syndrome. The most common diagnosis in patients with clinical syndromes suggestive of central nervous system (CNS) infection was sepsis associated encephalopathy (SAE) (22.9%), followed by bacterial meningitis (14%) and neurotuberculosis (9.9%). The comparison between the elderly and young adults showed that, in the young adults, bacterial meningitis and neurotuberculosis, and in the elderly SAE, are among the most common causes of clinical syndromes suggestive of CNS infection including febrile encephalopathy in our region. Moreover, we illustrated an upward trend for the proportion of diagnosing CNS infections among those who underwent diagnostic LP, from 40.4% in 2011 to 70% in 2015, that could be indicative of an increasing threshold for performing LP at least in our center in recent years. Whether these changes have been associated with increasing the rate of diagnostic errors or not needs to be evaluated in future studies.

Acute Febrile Encephalopathy in Children: A Prospective Study of Clinical Features, Etiology, Mortality, and Risk Factors from Western India

Introduction:

Acute febrile encephalopathy (AFE) in children is a medical emergency and could be a manifestation of many systemic and central nervous system pathologies. The clinical features of AFE are nonspecific and etiological spectrum variable depending on the studied population.

Materials and Methods:

A prospective, observational study was carried out including children aged between 1 month and 12 years with AFE admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of a tertiary care hospital in Western India. The primary objective was to assess the clinical presentation and etiology of AFE while the secondary objectives were to correlate the clinical and etiological findings and to determine the risk factors associated with mortality.

Results:

Out of the ninety children with AFE included in this study, male:female ratio was 1.2:1; most of them were aged between 1 and 5 years and came with a history of < 7 days (82.2%). All of them had altered sensorium, about 2/3^rd had seizures and 47.8% having a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) <8. Etiology remained elusive in about 40% of the cases, and viral infections were the most common among the ones with an identifiable cause. A variety of morbidity (shock, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, respiratory failure, etc.) and high mortality (40%) was observed with risk factors associated with mortality being GCS < 8, the presence of raised intracranial pressure, shock, and respiratory failure.

Conclusion:

AFE, though a rare diagnosis in children, is associated with significant morbidity and high mortality in a developing country like India.

Development of Pediatric Neurologic Emergency Life Support Course: A Preliminary Report

BACKGROUND

Acute neurological emergencies (ANEs) in children are common life-threatening illnesses and are associated with high mortality and severe neurological disability in survivors, if not recognized early and treated appropriately. We describe our experience of teaching a short, novel course "Pediatric Neurologic Emergency Life Support" to pediatricians and trainees in a resource-limited country.

METHODS

This course was conducted at 5 academic hospitals from November 2013 to December 2014. It is a hybrid of pediatric advance life support and emergency neurologic life support. This course is designed to increase knowledge and impart practical training on early recognition and timely appropriate treatment in the first hour of children with ANEs. Neuroresuscitation and neuroprotective strategies are key components of this course to prevent and treat secondary injuries. Four cases of ANEs (status epilepticus, nontraumatic coma, raised intracranial pressure, and severe traumatic brain injury) were taught as a case simulation in a stepped-care, protocolized approach based on best clinical practices with emphasis on key points of managements in the first hour.

RESULTS

Eleven courses were conducted during the study period. One hundred ninety-six physicians including 19 consultants and 171 residents participated in these courses. The mean (SD) score was 65.15 (13.87%). Seventy percent (132) of participants were passed (passing score > 60%). The overall satisfaction rate was 85%.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric Neurologic Emergency Life Support was the first-time delivered educational tool to improve outcome of children with ANEs with good achievement and high satisfaction rate of participants. Large number courses are required for future validation.

Aetiology and Outcomes of Suspected Infections of the Central Nervous System in Children in Mbarara, Uganda

Infections of the central nervous system (CNS) are severe conditions, leading to neurological sequelae or death. Knowledge of the causative agents is essential to develop guidelines for case management in resource-limited settings. Between August 2009 and October 2012, we conducted a prospective descriptive study of the aetiology of suspected CNS infections in children two months to 12 years old, with fever and at least one sign of CNS involvement in Mbarara Hospital, Uganda. Children were clinically evaluated on admission and discharge, and followed-up for 6 months for neurological sequelae. Pathogens were identified from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood using microbiological and molecular methods. We enrolled 459 children. Plasmodium falciparum (36.2%) and bacteria in CSF (13.3%) or blood (3.3%) were the most detected pathogens. Viruses were found in 27 (5.9%) children. No pathogen was isolated in 207 (45.1%) children. Patterns varied by age and HIV status. Eighty-three (18.1%) children died during hospitalisation, and 23 (5.0%) during follow-up. Forty-one (13.5%) children had neurological sequelae at the last visit. While malaria remains the main aetiology in children with suspected CNS infections, no pathogen was isolated in many children. The high mortality and high rate of neurological sequelae highlight the need for efficient diagnosis.

Global emergency medicine: a review of the literature from 2013

OBJECTIVES

The Global Emergency Medicine Literature Review (GEMLR) conducts an annual search of peer-reviewed and grey literature relevant to global emergency medicine (EM) to identify, review, and disseminate the most important new research in this field to a worldwide audience of academics and clinical practitioners.

METHODS

This year 8,768 articles written in six languages were identified by our search. These articles were distributed among 22 reviewers for initial screening based on their relevance to the field of global EM. An additional two reviewers searched the grey literature. A total of 434 articles were deemed appropriate by at least one reviewer and approved by an editor for formal scoring of overall quality and importance.

RESULTS

Of the 434 articles that met our predetermined inclusion criteria, 65% were categorized as emergency care in resource-limited settings, 18% as EM development, and 17% as disaster and humanitarian response. A total of 24 articles received scores of 18 or higher and were selected for formal summary and critique. Interrater reliability for two reviewers using our scoring system was good, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.63 (95% confidence interval = 0.55 to 0.69). Infectious diseases, trauma, and the diagnosis and treatment of diseases common in resource-limited settings represented the majority of articles selected for final review.

CONCLUSIONS

In 2013, there were more emergency care in resource-limited settings articles, while the number of disaster and humanitarian response articles decreased, when compared to the 2012 review. However, the distribution of articles selected for full review did not change significantly. As in prior years, the majority of articles focused on infectious diseases, as well as trauma and injury prevention.